Fish Out of Water
by yamimoukin
Summary: After the war, Harry turns down an immediate Auror position in favor of completing the program at Hogwarts. He finds himself struggling with his identity and his place in a world without Voldemort. He discovers the carefully guarded secret of an old rival which brings new possibilities and, perhaps, a solution to his problems. Harry/Draco Slash! Half-breed Draco!
1. Discovery

**Hello my lovelies!**

I've decided to update a story of mine that's ages old, but is apparently still popular. It wasn't up to my standards these days and it's getting a total revamp! This chapter is very similar to the old first chapter with a lot of fluff, a bit of pizazz, and, of course, magic! After this chapter, the entire story is going to change. There's going to be a point to all this merman madness! I hope y'all enjoy the story!

I want to give a big shout out to my awesomesauce beta, Dr. Huang! Oh..uh, my bad, I mean Kativa-chan! Thank you for listening to my half insane ramblings! :)

**Disclaimer:** I am, unfortunately, not the rightful owner of Harry Potter or the characters. They rightfully belong to J.K. Rowling. I own this story though!

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Harry sat on the edge of the Black Lake, dipping his naked feet in the water, sloshing it around. It was several hours after midnight, and the moon was full, shining on the whole campus. Harry stared down into the murky water. It was impossible to see even one foot below the surface, but then again Harry wasn't really looking for anything. Behind those famous emerald eyes was a blank, listless stare.

Since returning to school after the war for his final year, Harry was benefited by many great opportunities to become lost in thought. The war had brought him, along with numerous others, many misfortunes. Harry had lost so much more than anyone else. Any normal person would have given up halfway through their journey; yet here he was. He had even managed to learn from these experiences, which was more than what could be said from other participants in the war. There was one solitary thing still held Harry captive; it was something he felt should have been learned easily. _Who am I after Voldemort? Am I everyone's savior or _just_ Harry?_

"Something amiss, Chosen One?" The voice was very fluid and definitely female.

Harry's eyes focused and he stood, scanning the area for the source of the voice. Something, call it intuition, beckoned Harry to peer into the water. A female head floated just below the surface. Any other person would have been absolutely terrified by the seemingly bodiless head that's long, hunter green hair spread out on the water's surface, giving a wicked appearance. Her grey skin and large, fierce eyes brought Harry back to the Tri-Wizard tournament. She was a mermaid.

"No, not really," Harry was taken aback by the sudden appearance of a mermaid; he had never seen one come this close to the surface before.

"Much can be said for such vacant eyes," She said slowly and thoughtfully, her tail was kicking up dirt below and her face was becoming murky.

Harry shrugged. He was disturbed by the fact that she had been watching him, and he hadn't even noticed.

"It is late for a human to be out and lakeside," She said, her rows of jagged teeth were apparent, "The second tonight."

"The second?" Harry's brow furrowed as he questioned, "Who was the first?"

"He comes often to swim, but is quite hostile to outsiders. A walking merman. Would you care to see?" She smiled almost mischievously as she asked.

Harry scratched his head in thought. His curiosity was peaked; he had never heard of a walking mermaid. A cold breeze whipped around him, causing him to put his arms around himself and pull his jacket closer. Then again, the water's temperature was uncomfortably low and he hadn't managed to learn the Bubble-Head Charm, oddly enough.

"I can't really hold my breath long enough to see anything." Harry admitted.

"Here," Her slimy, webbed hand appeared above the surface, holding what looked to be a familiar herb.

"Gillyweed?" He asked. "How?"

"It grows deep below. Take it."

Harry took the weed from the mermaid. He knew it would more than likely turn out to be a bad idea, but through experience he trusted his gut, which told him he must trust her. It was gritty from the mud at the bottom of the lake, but he forced the gillyweed down anyway. Familiar feelings swept through him, he felt himself changing just as he did when he consumed the plant in the tournament. He jumped into the cool water allowing his vision to adjust to the murky depths of Black Lake. He held his hands in front of him. Before his eyes webbing grew between them, as did his feet. Water began coursing through his newly obtained gills, which were located on the sides of his neck. It was hard to overcome something as habitual as breathing, but Harry swam though it.

The mermaid swam deeper into the lake and urged Harry to follow her with a slender, scaled finger. During the tournament, the merpeople all looked the same. This was perhaps due to the fact that Harry was a tad too busy to notice each one's individual features. Upon closer inspection, he noted differences in this mermaid: high cheekbones, thin lips, muscular frame, and a tail fin which was torn and a bit tattered on the left side. She kicked swiftly and darted further into the depths of the lake. Harry swam down also and followed her lead. A ruin stood before them, vastly spread out, and overrun by marine plant-life.

"He swims just below," She stopped behind a large, aged pillar patched with green algae, "But I cannot go further. He will surely hex me."

Harry nodded and swam into the ruin. He scanned the area for any signs of life. Nearly 50 feet away, sitting on a rather large fragment of rock, was a half human, half fish being. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. The bottom, fish half of the mermaid was gray-blue color, as that of a dolphin, but scaled and shaded with a deep blue. The tail fin was much broader than that of the merpeople of Black Lake. As Harry stared further up the creature, he noted that the merman's human half was pale in complexion, athletic in physique, and had nearly white, blond hair. Harry also spotted an imposing, black tattoo along his left forearm: the Dark mark. Harry clearly recognized the man as Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince and his arch-enemy, aside from the now deceased Voldemort.

Suddenly there was a noise behind Harry, the swishing of a tail or a frightened Grindylow, and Draco looked up, directly at him. Harry panicked. He hadn't the foggiest idea what he should do. Harry quickly swam behind a rock and hid. It was clearly not a smart choice.

"I thought I told you to leave me-" Draco appeared where Harry was hiding and stopped. "Potter?"

Harry observed Draco's demeanor now. If he was pale before, Harry did not know what to name the hue he was now. Perhaps transparent? He quickly turned away from Harry in a vain attempt to hide his identity or perhaps an emotion he couldn't control under the circumstances. Leave it to Draco to be concerned about his stone-cold, Malfoy facade. Clearly, this was a secret he intended to take to his grave.

"You're a-" Harry was cut off by Draco.

"Half fish?" He turned to Harry in anger, and the façade had returned, "Aren't we observant?"

Harry frowned deeply, but kept his dislike of Draco in check. He might be angry too if someone he couldn't fancy less discovered his most inner secret, especially one that might completely shatter his war-tarnished image.

"But how?" Harry quizzed, but instantly regretted his curiosities.

Draco rolled his eyes, and an angry curl played on his thin, pink lips.

"Sod off, Potter. For once, mind your own bloody business," Draco turned his back to Harry and began to swim away.

"Fine, then I'll tell the entire school that the Slytherin Prince is a mermaid," Harry smirked with the sheer genius of his idea.

"Merman!" Draco growled, swimming back to him in a flurry of fins, "And you wouldn't dare!"

"What would the world think of a half-breed Draco Malfoy?" Harry thought of all the years Draco relentlessly taunted Hermione for the exact same thing, something she could do nothing to help.

"How did you know I was down here?" Draco ignored the attempt to rile him.

Harry remembered the gillyweed a moment too late. He peered down at his hands and feet and saw that the webbing was beginning to shrink to nothing. Alarmed and desperate, he breathed in a lung-full of lake water and began to choke.

"Stop being an idiot, Potter," Draco sneered.

Harry panicked as he choked. He had completely become himself again. Desperation turned to listlessness as he struggled, for he knew he wouldn't make it to the surface in time. He turned to Draco in a fit of pure fear, his eyes pleading for his help. Draco seemed to be too completely engrossed in an internal struggle with himself to take notice of Harry. Draco finally grabbed Harry's now floating body quickly and pulled it to him. Taking in a great deal of water, Draco pressed his lips to Harry's. Lack of oxygen and complete and utter shock caused Harry to black out. The darkness that had taken over his vision was slowly returned, and he wished in vain he would go blind. Draco's lips were pressed to his own. He shoved Draco away and attempted to disinfect his mouth with the back of his hand.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" Harry writhed as the image of the Slytherin kissing him replayed again and again.

"I was professing my love," Sarcasm tainted Draco's words, "Merlin, don't you know anything?"

Harry's dumbfounded expression received an eye roll from the Slytherin merman. Draco crossed his arms and his tail fin flapped angrily. Despite the rude and irritable nature of the Draco, Harry still managed to find him beautiful in this moment. His scales shimmered, even at this depth. Harry quickly shook these queer thoughts from his head. He attributed it to lightheadedness from his previous lack of oxygen. Draco didn't appear to have felt Harry's lengthy gaze nor take notice of his shame.

"A merperson's kiss will give any non-gilled creature the ability to breathe under water," Draco sounded as if he were reading straight from a book, much like Hermione in Harry's opinion.

Both stared at each other for a moment. Harry held out his right hand to the Slytherin prince who stared at it as if it were covered in blood. It was very reminiscent to Draco's offer in their first year, an offer which was rejected straight away. Harry hoped that in exchange for keeping Draco's secrets, the blond would agree to some form of peace between them.

"Truce," Draco finally grasped Harry's hand firmly.

"I won't tell anyone," Harry added.

Draco frowned deeply as if he were not satisfied with Harry keeping his secret to himself.

"And I didn't enjoy one single second of saving your life," Draco kicked his great tail-fin and shot upward for the surface.

Harry followed and there was a great distance between them due to Harry's less adapted human limbs. The Gryffindor cursed the gillyweed's short term effects. He wished they had lasted much longer and perhaps _then_ he would have a chance to challenge the merman to a race. Harry blasted upward with a strong kick and broke through the surface to see that Draco was already sitting on the edge of the water, trying to dry off his glittering fin.

"What are you doing?" Harry paddled to the bank and pulled himself out.

Draco rolled his eyes which was becoming quite annoying to Harry.

"When I am dry, I am human," Draco spoke as if Harry were completely incompetent.

"Malfoy, why can't you just be civil?" Harry dried himself with a flick of the wand.

Draco stared at Harry as if he were completely bonkers which, by this point, was becoming redundant. As soon as he was dry, his newly formed legs made a mad dash for a pile of robes Harry hadn't noticed before, and he disappeared into the castle. Harry cleared a bit of mud from his glasses and found a dry spot under a rather pitiful, skeleton of a tree so sit.

The Gryffindor couldn't believe the events that had transpired tonight. The mermaid was odd enough, for merpeople tended to evade wizards. She had spoken kindly to him and showed him where Draco was. She was mischievous; that was absolutely certain. Harry blankly wondered if she found it amusing to meddle in the affairs of humans. Harry's thoughts then moved to the Slytherin. He recalled the completely astonished expression on Draco's face when he was discovered by Harry Potter no less. Harry had never seen him so frightened; not even when he was nearly killed in the Room of Requirement. There were many things which transpired tonight that Harry needed to contemplate.

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What do you lovelies think? Please give me all of your opinions! Feel free to PM me with any questions! I would really appreciate reviews. I will even offer this plate of cookies. *gestures to cookies* Cookies for reviews?


	2. Aeris

Thank you all for the fabulous reviews and follows! I hope that everyone who read the previous version liked my updates. This chapter is where things start to divert from the earlier version. Chapter three will make you think that this is a totally different story! I hope all of my new readers enjoy this story as well! Be sure to tell me your thoughts and what you'd like to see happen!

Shout out to my lovely beta again! I have to thank her for letting me in on some shocking information. I've been writing HD fanfiction for going on 10 years now and I never knew that the order of Harry/Draco or Draco/Harry mattered. I've always stuck with Harry/Draco. By sheer dumb luck, Harry continues to be the main and slightly dominant character in my stories. So please laugh at my ignorance because I'm more than a little embarrassed.

**Disclaimer**: I own this story, but not Harry Potter or the characters. I would prefer not to be sued by J. K. Rowling.

**Chapter 2: Aeris**

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Harry snuck back into the castle. He resolved not to illuminate the halls to avoid being caught out after curfew. His sneakers gently squeaked on the stone floors as his pace quickened. A hurried drying spell allowed for complete silence. Harry was proud of his cat-like grace, which no doubt came from years of roaming the halls of Hogwarts after hours. The Fat Lady shook her head as he neared the portrait, for she was used to Harry's late night excursions.

"Out for a midnight stroll, Potter?" Filch rounded the corner with someone other than Mrs. Norris at his heels.

Harry winced and damned his ill luck. Filch, the caretaker and squib extraordinaire, held Draco by the arm tightly. He jerked Draco as he hobbled to Harry. Draco sneered angrily, his stormy grey eyes full of malice, at the old squib and he pulled his arm out of Filch's grasp. The blonde brushed the arm of his finely tailored coat as if Filch's knobby hand had soiled it.

"Tsk tsk," Filch smirked and grabbed Harry's arm, "To McGonagall with the both of you."

That night Harry and Draco were sentenced to scrubbing an unused classroom by McGonagall. She appeared to want to let them both go with warnings, but Filch insisted that punishment would allow them be a lesson to the younger children. Harry desperately desired to kick the man in his shins, but said nothing. Harry knew the Head of Gryffindor house held a fondness for him, and he considered her to be as close to a grandmother as he could come. McGonagall's eyes apologized only to him as she doled out the punishment. He found himself wondering, after he managed to return to Gryffindor tower and his bed, why an unused classroom needed cleaning. Perhaps Filch would muck the room up after all of their effort to clean it to prepare it for the next detention. If this type of punishment hadn't discouraged Harry from keeping curfew in first year, it surely wasn't going to stop him now.

XXX

Breakfast in the Great Hall neared its end. The once loud chatter of 'good mornings' and gossip were reduced to murmurs here and there due to students exiting for morning classes. Hermione sat across from Ron and Harry listening to Harry describe his account with Filch and McGonagall's hesitation to punish him. He neglected to mention mermaids or Draco Malfoy.

"What?" Hermione's nostrils flared when she heard of Harry's detention, "I think you're intentionally trying to give me an aneurysm! Thank Merlin Gryffindor didn't lose points or I would be really cross."

Hermione might have had the right to be angry with Harry if his bad habits ended in Gryffindor losing points. More than half of the current earned points were strictly Hermione's doing. She coveted Gryffindor's points as if they were her own offspring. Ron rolled his eyes as he ate.

"You _always_ make a big deal out of nothing, 'Mione." Ron mumbled, scooting the last bite of food around on his plate as he talked.

Hermione huffed and glared at him. Harry swore her eye twitched slightly at Ron's unconcerned remark. He remembered that Ginny Weasley was another possessor of this trait when she became really irate. They _had_ been spending more time together as of late, but Harry wasn't sure how it was possible to inherit a seemingly involuntary spasm of the eye.

"Nothing? We're going to lose the House Cup to Slytherin if Harry insists on taking a scenic stroll after curfew. I would like you both to keep in mind that Gryffindor has won the house cup 6 years in a row and I will not have our final year at Hogwarts sullied by a loss," Hermione snapped her book shut for dramatic effect.**

"He can't sleep, 'Mione," Ron grumbled to her so Harry, who had been deafened by a daydream, wouldn't hear, "He's been having dreams again."

Hermione dropped her fork. The ensuing clank disrupted Harry's thought process and he stared at his female friend's horrified expression without a single clue as to what he had done.

"You're having dreams about Voldemort again?" She whispered loudly and angrily.

"No I'm not," Harry said defensively and turned to Ron who avoided his eyes sheepishly.

"Ron has informed me that you're roaming around the castle because you've been having dreams," Hermione said as if Ron had never once in his entire life been wrong.

Her glare warned Harry not to even think about lying.

"Everyone has dreams. Ron talks about spiders every other night. You should be more worried about his phobia than me," Harry deflected.

Harry hadn't dreamed of Tom Riddle since he had been killed in the Battle of Hogwarts. The part of Riddle's soul that intertwined with his own was responsible for the connection leading to his terrifying nightmares. Now that this connection was severed, all of the effects had been negated as well. No dreams, no scar pain, and no parseltongue. All that remained of Tom Riddle inside of Harry were the memories of his trail of death and destruction. Harry dreamed, of course, but only perplexing and nonsensical dreams about heroes and villains. They often left Harry so befuddled that he wasn't able to fall back asleep. In the previous night's dream, Harry played the role of Perseus and battled a very basilisk-like version of Medusa. She taunted him mercilessly about his life as they fought. It felt much like she found a way inside his head and could read his innermost feelings. The truths she spurted invoked deep and unconscious emotions in him. It had obviously been her tactic to avoid death. Unfortunately for her, mind reading abilities didn't play into her fighting strategy. Harry jerked awake as he decapitated the Gorgon.

"Oh," Hermione's brown eyes flickered down to her book.

The subject was dropped. They gathered their belongings and walked to Care of Magical Creatures. The trio found a way to fit it in their busy schedules to please Hagrid, who was beside himself with the fact that his "three favorite misfits" were going to leave him forever after this year. Harry found it to be a small sacrifice for the man who changed his life forever when he was eleven. The class itself wasn't disagreeable, but the company with which it was shared was. Very few Slytherin students returned after the war. Some families fled to neighboring countries while others were displaced by either their families or themselves being thrown into Azkaban. Draco Malfoy would have been among the latter had it not been for Harry's surprise testimony at both his and his mother's trials. There was nothing that could be done for Lucius Malfoy nor did Harry feel that it was right to help him.

The morning's breeze was on the verge of cold and rustled the evergreens scattered upon campus. The trio walked along the bridge slowly without a word between them. Harry brooded over the previous night's events while Hermione and Ron were silenced by the guilt stemming from their joint distrust of Harry. Draco hurriedly passed them without as much as a glance; his gait nearly broke into a jog. Ron and Hermione exchanged a curious expression.

"I can't _believe_ McGonagall let that Death Eater scum come back," Ron spat hatefully with a quick glance in Harry's direction.

"That's odd," Hermione ignored Ron's rather rude outburst, "Now that I think about it, Malfoy's been oddly quiet since returning. He hasn't bullied us or anyone else."

"Maybe he's changed," Harry replied thoughtfully, remembering their truce.

"Harry's right. If it hadn't been for your testimony, he'd be locked up in Azkaban for life. He's lucky he got a second chance," Hermione replied sympathetically as Draco disappeared from sight.

Ron's only reply was an irritated huff. They had argued about this after Harry astounded the world by testifying on behalf of two known supporters of Voldemort. Ron couldn't see past the pain brought on by the Malfoys, especially Draco. He wasn't able to see past Draco's façade of insults and arrogance. In the end, Harry knew that Draco wouldn't have been able to kill Dumbledore. He didn't identify Harry at Malfoy Manor. His reluctance to do anything of importance to help the Death Eaters was enough for Harry. He honestly believed that Draco Malfoy was a product of his environment, helpless to the fact that his parents were followers of Tom Riddle. He was merely guilty of cowardice. Before the war, Draco was about as much in control of his life as Harry was. Hermione managed to see Harry's reasoning behind the decision appear on behalf of Draco and Mrs. Malfoy. She commended Harry's capacity for forgiveness and wished as much for herself.

"He's been roaming around by himself lately. Have you noticed?" Hermione asked Harry.

He shrugged. Harry had previously noted that Draco was rather solitary as of late. Actually, he had separated himself from the slim Slytherin herd at the beginning of the year. He speculated that it was largely due to his fishy ailment. Harry didn't understand the logic behind it, though. He would want the support of his friends if something like that were to happen to him. Then again, he and Draco were two very different people.

As they neared Hagrid's hut, a booming voice directed their attention to Black Lake. Hagrid stood, waving and smiling, and beckoned the class to meet at the lake's bank. Harry was positively puzzled, as were his friends. They exchanged inquiring glances and wordlessly crowded around the half-giant. Harry smiled as he pictured Hagrid attempting to catch and wrestle the Giant Squid into submission. It sounded reasonable enough considering the slew of dangerous beasts the half-giant had attempted to subdue in the past. He cringed at the thought of the great three headed dog, Fluffy, and the human flesh eating Acromantula, Aragog.

"Everyone 'ere? Wonderful!" Hagrid's brown trousers were rolled up haphazardly and he was knee deep in the murky lake, "Our lesson today will be on the merpeople o' Black Lake."

From the corner of his eye, Harry could see Draco standing far away from the water. His brow was furrowed in a very disgruntled manner. He appeared to be only slightly more agitated than usual. Harry figured that any lesson about merpeople was a waste of his precious time due to first-hand experience. Harry averted his gaze before Draco noticed.

"'Arry encountered 'em at the Triwizard Tournament. Tell us what they look like, 'Arry," Hagrid asked of his friend.

Hagrid appeared to enjoy putting Harry in the spotlight during class, even though Harry protested about it often. It was an obvious favoritism that the half-giant was unable to help.

"Err…they have scaled skin, wild and green hair," Harry paused pretend he was having a hard time remembering, "The top half looked like a human, but with a grey complexion."

"Great! Not too many wizards can speak Mermish, the language o' the merpeople, and you're looking at one. I'm gonna call one of 'em up. She's a good friend o' mine," Hagrid was proud of his ability to speak the language.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione covered their ears a half of a second before a horrible screeching sound came from Hagrid's mouth. Hagrid really should have warned everyone. The rest of the class, surprised by the noise, covered their ears in agony. He cast a hurried glance at Draco, who was the only person not shielding his ears from the terrible screeching. He tapped his foot in an irritated manner.

The water rippled. The mermaid rose slowly and greeted Hagrid with a timid smile. Harry recognized her instantly as the mermaid who coaxed him into the water the previous night. The only portion of her visible was the top. She seemed to be a very different creature in comparison to the proud mermaid he witnessed last night. She clutched her arms in front of her body and avoided looking straight ahead. Her long, hunter green hair hung in her face a bit**. **An eruption of excited commotion came over the class.

"Settle down, settle down," Hagrid ordered, "'er name is Aeris. She is unable to speak because Mermish can only be understood by 'umans under water, but she can understand us alright. She was the only one willin' to come up to the surface. So forgive 'er if she's nervous."

The mermaid did seem nervous. Harry pitied her. She eyed the humans warily and shook as if she were ill. She kept close to Hagrid, whom she obviously trusted. She met Harry's eyes and smirked ever so slightly on several occasions during class. Then realization hit Harry like the massive tail of a Hungarian Horntail, this mermaid was fooling everyone. She was much less discrete yesterday. All of her actions up to this point had been calculated. For what reason, Harry was unsure.

"Alright class dismissed," Hagrid finished his lesson several minutes early, "'Arry! Come 'ere."

Ron and Hermione promised to catch up with him in later classes. The rest of the class, still churning with excitement stemming from the mermaid's appearance, slowly moved out of earshot. Harry made his way to the half-giant, who still stood barefoot in the muddy water. Aeris still lingered behind him, now the face of calm, cool, and collected. He also noted that she appeared quite proud, as most beasts with above average intelligence did. This only confirmed Harry's working theory about her.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"'Ave you and Aeris met before?" Hagrid questioned.

Harry looked now to the mermaid, who barely shook her head behind behind the great, bearded man. He bit his lip, in an attempt to appear as if he were trying to remember, and shook his head slowly. He resolved to keep it to himself.

"I don't think so," Harry peered at the mermaid once again with his brow furrowed.

His emerald eyes flickered back to Hagrid who appeared disappointed.

"Well, she just kept lookin' yer way," The half-giant scratched the mass of tangled hair on his head.

"Do you think she remembers me from the tournament?" Harry offered and danced inwardly at the sheer genius of it.

Hagrid's eyes brightened as he turned to Aeris for an answer. The mermaid instantly feigned nerves as soon as Hagrid eyes lay upon her form. Harry narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. This clever creature attempted to fool humans into believing that merpeople were quite timid. It seemed ridiculous to Harry now because she appeared to be a bit over seven feet tall and completely capable of defending herself. She stared at Harry for a moment or two, her bright eyes conveying innocence, and meekly nodded. Hagrid laughed.

"Well that solves that! I thought you might be goin' for a nightly swin with the Giant Squid, 'Arry!" Hagrid jabbed his elbow at Harry and they exchanged a laugh which was a bit nervous on Harry's end, "See you tomorrow, 'Arry."

Harry quickly escaped in an effort to catch up with Ron and Hermione. He breathed a sigh of relief once out of earshot. Hagrid eyed him as he went. He walked back to his hut, stroking his matted beard as he pushed the front door open.

"Potter," Draco caught Harry's attention before Harry passed him.

Draco casually leaned behind a thick tree twirling his wand. He would have gone completely unnoticed by Harry had he not piped up. Harry narrowed his eyes at the Slytherin. Draco obviously held himself back to wait for Harry.

"What did the oaf have to say?" Draco asked as if Harry were obligated to report to him.

Harry frowned at the offensive term the blond used to identify Hagrid. He eyed Draco suspiciously for a moment before replying.

"Not that it's really any of your business, but he asked me if I knew Aeris."

"That was the mermaid that led you to me last night? Tricky little fish," Draco wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Leave her alone, Malfoy," Harry warned, not wishing harm to befall the creature despite her apparent ulterior motive.

"I really should have guessed. She's been following me around for a few months now."

Harry recalled Aeris' claims that Draco hexed her. Oddly enough, he felt comforted by the fact that Draco hexed her with a reason and not just for his own amusement. Harry decided to make his way to his next class now. It appeared as if Draco were out of nosy questions to ask.

"I trust that you've kept my secret to yourself," Draco's voice trailed behind him.

Draco lingered behind Harry as he made his way into the castle while remaining only one step behind him. Harry found it uncomfortable for his former enemy to walk behind him. He slowed his step for a fraction of a second and resumed his pace when even with the blond. Walking beside Draco still felt bizarre, but he tried to ignore it.

"Who would I tell, Malfoy?" Harry made his irritation obvious.

"Perhaps Mu-Granger and Weasley?" Draco made an attempt to call Harry's friends by their surnames instead of his usual offensive nicknames, which was appreciated.

"It's not my secret to tell," Harry replied curtly.

Harry took Draco's lack of a reply as a sign of his satisfaction. He expected the Slytherin to disappear after their conversation, but he continued to walk with Harry. They walked at a moderate pace in an awkward silence. To the uneducated eye, they would appear to be friends. Soon enough, they were going arrive in a more crowded part of the corridor. Harry was mildly curious if Draco realized this. Draco's image at Hogwarts would surely be shattered if word got around Hogwarts that he and Harry Potter were friends.

"You do realize that we might be seen together, Malfoy?" Harry pointed out a bit bluntly.

Draco stopped abruptly and glared daggers at Harry. His lip even curled up a bit. He appeared to think hard about his reply. Harry fully expected a hex and gripped his wand in apprehension.

"I hardly care what others think of me _now_, Potter. But _please_ don't worry yourself. None of your precious little friends will see you with the likes of _me_," Draco spat out in a rather cross manner and swept towards the dungeon with his nose in the air.

"Malfoy!" Harry called to the Slytherin to no avail.

Harry was riddled with guilt for the remainder of the day. He had never felt remorse for something said in the heat of the moment. He managed to hit a nerve so deep that the usually quick witted Draco Malfoy was forced to ponder his response. By the careful wording of Draco's reply, Harry's eyes were opened to the reality of Draco's situation. He hadn't become a solitary being of his own free will. He was cast out by his fellow Slytherins after the war. Something between the war and the start of school removed Draco from, what appeared to be, all of his old friends. Harry wondered what could be so unforgivable. He further separated himself to keep his deepest, darkest secret. Draco was completely and utterly alone. Harry knew he must apologize as soon as humanly possible. He groaned loudly at the thought of apologizing to Draco Malfoy.

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To the readers who thought I was a tease for offering invisible cookies in exchange for reviews: Would you prefer 30 chapters of unresolved sexual tension between Harry and Draco that ends in Harry suddenly marrying Ginny? If not, then you better review and enjoy those damn invisible cookies! Haha! :) I love you guys!


	3. Affairs

Thank you all for the reviews, follows, and favs. It's so much easier for me to write when I know people are really enjoying the story. Enjoy the chapter! There's a great deal of awesome coming up soon! :) Shout out to my awesome beta. I hope you feel better soon and thank you for all your help! :D

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. The story; however, is mine.

**Chapter 3: **Affairs

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Harry found his way to his final class, Potions, and slipped inside before Slughorn entered. Harry spied Draco in the front row and vowed to make amends with him to the best of his abilities today. Hermione was also seated in the front of the classroom, two seats to the right of Draco. Harry admired how organized the pair of were. Each managed to arrive on time and their books, notes, quills, and inks neatly arranged on the desk. Harry scrambled to find a scrap parchment for notes and was forced to sit in the back of the classroom next to a large Slytherin boy with an obvious lack of personal hygiene due to his tardiness.

Slughorn entered the classroom in an unusually chipper mood. He was usually well mannered and pleasant enough, but today was wholly different.

"We will have a rather short class this afternoon. We previously discussed the Polyjuice potion. Before you get excited about brewing, I want you all to write two feet of parchment on the purpose of each ingredient in the potion. Details are of vast importance in potion brewing. It will be due a week from today. Class dismissed." Slughorn clapped in an enthusiastic manner as the class audibly groaned.

Harry gathered his things and waited outside the door for Draco. The only benefit of being forced to sit in the back of the classroom was the ease of making a quick escape. As luck would have it, Hermione exited before the blond. She seemed to think Harry had been waiting for her.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise, "What did Hagrid hold you back for?"

Harry attempted to listen and watch behind his friend for Draco at the same time. He did not have a second to attend to the Hermione's question due to Draco's ill timing. Hermione continued to stare at Harry as she patiently awaited her answer. He decided in an instant that apologizing to Draco was more important. Hermione could wait.

"Malfoy!" Harry called loudly over Hermione's shoulder.

Draco stopped and turned on his heels, one perfectly arched eyebrow raised in question. Harry jogged towards him leaving a stunned Hermione behind. The blond looked around to find that several students had halted all movement in anticipation. The faces of their classmates appeared both wildly excited and desperately terrified at the exact same time, if such a thing were possible. They seemed to think that they were going to witness a clash of the titans.

"Potter, people are stari-" It was Harry's turn to interrupt.

"Shut up," He held his hand up to silence Draco, "Malfoy, I'm sorry for earlier. I thought that you might not want to be seen with me to save face. You know…old rivalries."

As Harry hushed Draco with his hand, Draco's face had morphed into horrified disgust. It was as if he had never been silenced in such a manner before. Just as fast as the expression had surfaced, it disappeared behind the cold Malfoy façade. Harry prepared himself for a hex with a hand in his pocket, fingers wrapped tightly around his wand.

"This is what happens when _you_ think, Potter. Isn't that what you have Granger for?" Draco tilted his chin to acknowledge the bushy haired girl gaping behind Harry, "Your apology is much appreciated."

With his witty reply, Draco spun on his heels and swept away. The world began to move around Harry again. Students within earshot took their disappointment with them to the Great Hall for dinner. Harry returned to an astounded Hermione with his apologies for running off.

"What was _that_?" Hermione pointed to the spot where Harry and Draco spoke, her eyebrows were raised in alarm.

"I think he just complimented you," Harry replied almost to himself, dumbfounded.

"Tell me on the way to the Great Hall. I'm starving," Hermione ordered.

Harry told a very abridged version of the events between last night and today. Harry found Draco outside while on his nightly stroll, somehow they managed a truce, Filch caught them separately, and turned them in to McGonagall. Draco attempted to be civil in conversation after Care of Magical Creatures, Harry offended him, and what she witnessed after Potions was Harry's apology. By the time the heavily edited story ended, they were sitting down in the Great Hall. Hermione exuded uncertainty. She tilted her head and paused before speaking.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" She chewed at the inside of her lip.

"It's not like I'm moving him into Gryffindor tower, 'Mione," Harry reasoned, "He's just not as terrible as we all make him out to be. He's still a bloody git sometimes, though."

"Keep in mind that he could be playing on your compassion. We aren't exactly dealing with a decent human being here," Hermione said unsympathetically, "If ulterior motives had a king, it would be Draco Malfoy."

Harry understood her wariness. Draco wasn't exactly renowned for his kindness. Harry's gut told him that he was doing the right thing. The last time he trusted his gut regarding Draco, he had been right. Granted, all hell broke loose afterwards, but Harry's gut hadn't failed him. He didn't trust Draco, but was sure the Slytherin had no diabolical plans.

"He probably does, but my gut tells me it's not diabolical," Harry began to eat.

"Well since _The Boy Who Lived_'s gut has _never_ been wrong," She and Harry exchanged a laugh, but as it died Hermione's next words held sincerity, "You have this way about you, Harry. You can forgive and forget."

"I haven't forgotten," Harry reminded her in a low tone.

If he forgave and forgot, he would be blindly wandering into a pit of vipers. Harry wasn't sure that he would ever be able to forget Draco's sins. The black tattoo that stained his forearm would be a constant reminder. Harry would forget the Slytherin's sins when he was truly convinced that Draco had changed for the better. Somehow, he didn't see that happening.

"You know what I mean. I'm still skeptical about him, but I feel better that you are too. I'm so proud of you for being the better person," Hermione seemed so swell with pride as if she were his mother.

Ron plopped down at the table across from Hermione and Harry. He eyed the presentation of food in front of him before acknowledging his friends.

"What are we proud of Harry for?" Ron asked, half interested, as he filled his plate with shepherd's pie.

"Harry has made amends with Draco Malfoy," Hermione patted Harry on the back and smiled.

Ron, on the other hand, began to violently choke on a rather large bite of shepherd's pie. Ginny, eyes wide at her brother's sudden choking fit, smacked her brother on the back several times before he was finally able to swallow. He neglected to thank her as he surveyed the faces of his friends. He frowned deeply.

"Please tell me this is your idea of a joke," Ron begged Hermione after a fit of coughing.

"Ron," Hermione warned.

"No, Harry, tell me you're kidding," Ron said in the most serious manner Harry and Hermione had ever witnessed, "After all he's done to you. To _us_."

The tips of Ron's ears began to turn a very violent shade of red and he stood. He began to repeat all of the terrible things Draco had done to them as if he had compiled a list yesterday. He yelled phrases like well _what about that time he-_ and _remember when he-. _He wasn't screaming loud enough for the entire hall to hear or for the teachers to take notice, but students within 10 feet of Ron heard every word clearly. He gestured quickly and violently. Harry feared that the speed of his flapping arms might cause him to take flight.

"I want to put all of it behind us," Harry wanted to sink under the table to get away from the attention being drawn by Ron's temper.

Ginny pulled at her brother's arm in effort to persuade him to sit and calm down. Her cheeks were pink with embarrassment as she tugged her brother down. He pulled his arm away from her in a fit of rage and stalked out of the Great Hall.

"I'll go talk to him," Hermione followed Ron out.

Harry lost his appetite. He hadn't expected Ron to explode in that manner. He couldn't imagine harboring so much rage for a single person. Ginny put her hand atop his and grasped it. Her sympathetic expression eased Harry. Even though their relationship had been put on indefinite hold, Ginny retained the ability to calm him.

"You are good to a fault, Harry Potter," She chuckled now at Harry's predicament, "Ron will get over it."

Harry nodded solemnly. Once the clamor of dinner resumed and Ron's outbursts were all but forgotten, he excused himself to detention with Filch and Draco. He made his way through the winding corridors and up two flights of moving stairs to eventually find the unused classroom. Draco had long awaited both he and Filch. He casually leaned into a corner of the room quite near the door. His expression, as per usual, was unreadable.

The room itself was the definition of filth. Cobwebs lurked even in impossible crevices. Harry thought of Ron whose arachnophobia would be triggered at the sight of the spider infestation. Dust and dirt covered everything else in the room. Books, cauldrons, tables, and statues were all covered by a thick layer of grime. Harry was sure that there were a number of magical creature infestations in this room. He frowned deeply at the thought of cleaning this disgusting mess with a person who, quite possibly, had never lowered himself to clean anything in his life.

Filch entered with his red eyed cat, Mrs. Norris, in tow. The cat eyed Draco warily and barred her teeth to him. The matted hair on her back stood in patches and her back arched impossibly as she flipped around to leer at the blond. There was a strange absence of noise on her part which made the scene perplexing.

"My poor Mrs. Norris. Cursed into silence by some wicked imp!" Filch stroked the cat.

This seemed to ease her anxiety, and her odd, silent abhorrence of Draco stopped. She could not stop staring at him, though. Draco seemed unfazed by Mrs. Norris' fearful, red eyed gaze.

"Three hours you'll be in cleaning this room," Filch's ragged, yellow toothed smile was apparent as he laughed at their pain, "You may use magic because; otherwise, you would be here for the remainder of the year. I expect to see results when I return in three hours."

Filch rushed from the room quickly. Harry pondered why he hadn't remained to keep watch as per normal. A quick glance to Draco let him know that the blond shared his train of thought. The Slytherin's frown deepened as he scanned the ghastly mess they would be cleaning.

"This is terribly unappealing," Draco said with distaste.

"Punishment isn't supposed to be appealing, Malfoy," Harry grinned and received a sneer from the blond.

The perpetual silence that followed was deafening. Opposite sides of the room were taken by each. Harry was overtaken by a fit of coughing and sneezing after exhuming an exceptionally filthy cabinet. Draco, on the other hand, seemed to have no allergies to dust whatsoever. This particularly annoyed Harry. He found it ironic that Draco, who was spoiled by wealth and privilege, had no allergies while Harry, who spent a large portion of his life cleaning up after his muggle family, was unfortunate enough to fall prey to allergies.

Twice, a doxy infestation made its presence known. Harry noted that the battle between humans and doxies was a much welcome distraction for both he and Draco. It was the only time for a period of an hour and a half in which Draco showed the slightest inkling of emotion. As soon as the doxies were eradicated, his façade returned and he resumed cleaning his side of the room.

Several minutes after the second great doxy battle Harry felt a tingling sensation on the back of his neck. He scratched and proceeded to ignore it. The tingle soon turned into a light burn. Harry rubbed the back of his neck in hopes of some relief, but to no avail. He then realized the burn he was feeling was a direct result of Draco staring at him from across the room. Harry turned and met his gaze.

"_Why_ are you staring at me, Malfoy?" Harry cleaned beakers with a _scourgify_ as he spoke.

Draco's cold, grey eyes fell away from Harry's.

"I trust you've kept my secret the entire day?" Draco taunted with a smirk.

Harry smiled and shook his head while looking down at the stained beaker in his hand. This made two times in one day Draco inquired about his secret. There was a chance it was due to Draco's distrust of Harry who, on occasion, accidentally gave up his secrets to Hermione after a clever line of questioning. On the other hand, the Malfoys were known to be vain and proud. After the recent Death Eater trials, Draco's family was promptly disgraced. The Dark Mark resided on not just one family member, but two. If the secret were to somehow made public, the pureblood pedestal would be pulled out from under him, and the family's pride would be in disrepair.

"You wound me, Malfoy. As if _I_ haven't kept secrets my entire life?" Harry retorted.

Draco fiddled with his wand uncomfortably which was something Harry didn't commonly associate with the normally, well composed Slytherin. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, but wasn't sure what to expect in response.

"Father doesn't know," Draco's expression was composed, but rigid as he spoke.

Harry stared. Draco wasn't one to spill secrets like a gossiping schoolgirl, especially secrets of this magnitude. Harry was surprised by the admission. He wasn't sure how a father could not be aware of his precious son's predicament. By Harry's observations, Lucius Malfoy obviously cared a great deal for his son. Harry often thought that it was the only thing the man loved above himself.

"How can he not know?"

Harry knew he shouldn't pry into something obviously so personal because they weren't best mates. But he resolved to let his curiosity reign over his better judgment until the Slytherin stopped divulging secrets.

"It is a recent…inheritance," The final word dripped in venom and disdain, "Lucius is not my real father."

Harry couldn't control his reaction to this statement. His eyes grew wide. As the idea settled in his mind, he compared Draco's features to that of his parents. Narcissa and Lucius shared a number of similar features. It wasn't surprising that no one questioned Narcissa's faithfulness to her husband because of these vast similarities. Harry hadn't noticed the trivial differences before because there was no reason to. From this point on he would always wonder how no one else had seen something so obvious.

"Who's your real father?"

Draco shrugged.

"Mother had an affair with a Mediterranean merman on a vacation. She had her suspicions, but didn't know for sure until the inheritance made its presence known," Draco seemed to finally become aware of who he was spilling his secrets and said no more.

Harry suppressed his curiosity. He pitied Draco. Harry had an abundance of experience with life altering events occurring in a rather short period of time. Harry remained silent for the rest of his shared detention while going over the new information received from Draco. The Slytherin was equally as silent.

Filch appeared after what seemed like hours later.

"Not bad," He surveyed the room and dismissed them.

"Later, Malfoy," Harry called to who, someday, he might call his friend.

Draco acknowledged Harry's call with a lazy wave without so much as turning around. Harry made his way to Gryffindor tower and gave the Fat Lady the password when she prompted him. He couldn't help but dwell on his newly formed alliance with Draco Malfoy. He had to admit that Draco had been exceptionally pleasant tonight. Harry wasn't sure if Draco actually found him agreeable, or he was merely playing nice in exchange for silence.

The common room was nearly empty when Harry strolled in. Hermione and Ron were the only students awake. Hermione greeted him with a warm smile while Ron focused hard on the essay she aided him in writing. This focus was only brought on by the wish to avoid Harry. The witch nudged Ron to speak to Harry, but he obstinately ignored her. Hermione shrugged and shot Harry a sympathetic look. Harry supposed that a silent, angry Ron was much preferred to an irrational and irate Ron.

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I hope everyone enjoyed it! Review! Tell me what you want or think will happen! If you have any questions, I can answer via PM or in the portion before the beginning of the new chapter! :) Go and Review!


	4. Deliberate

I got such lovely reviews on the last chapter and my beta got the next chapter to me earlier than I expected so…

Lucky you! I'm updating earlier than I intended because I love y'all! :) Looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks. Awesome stuff in this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or its characters. They are owned by J.K. Rowling. The story; however, is mine, so steal it and I'll cut you. Seriously.

**Chapter 4: Deliberate**

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Harry stood alone in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Ministries. He was dressed in pajamas, consisting of a thin t-shirt and cotton trousers. He cautiously wandered further into the dimly lit room. The polished floor was ice cold against his bare feet. Harry distinctly remembered going to bed in Gryffindor tower. He wondered how he ended up in this God forsaken place. He hadn't gone anywhere near this room since-

Sirius stood in front of the veil thin and disheveled, but alive none-the-less. The sudden appearance of his deceased godfather startled him. The pale, handsome man stared at Harry, almost through him, which chilled Harry to the bone. Sirius was statuesque and unmoving. Harry's breathe faltered. He stared at his godfather in disbelief and sought to touch him with an outstretched hand. This had to be real. Sirius had only been assumed deceased, for no one really knew where the veil led. If he could only touch his beloved Godfather, he would know for sure.

His Godfather's head turned mechanically to the left. Harry followed Sirius's gaze as if it drew a line for just this purpose. In an instant, the appearance of a wild haired, ruffled Bellatrix Lestrange sent Harry flying forward. His heart pounded wildly in his chest as he ran to prevent the past from reoccurring. No matter how hard Harry ran, Sirius remained the same distance from him. It was as if Harry were trapped in once spot. He saw now that he would never be able to reach his Godfather in time. A red jet of light emitted from Bellatrix's crooked, black wand sent Sirius into the veil. Harry opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. In fact, the whole affair was entirely silent.

Harry's eyes shot open, and he sat up abruptly. It wasn't often that he dreamed about his deceased loved ones, but when he did, they were horrifically vivid. It often left him in an understandably sour mood. He grabbed his glasses and wand from the nightstand to his left, slipped on a pair of sneakers, and snuck out of Gryffindor tower with the invisibility cloak. No chances were to be taken with Filch.

The Gryffindor found himself sitting beneath the same skeleton of a tree he had the night before. The cool night air cleared carried the nightmare away. He stared aimlessly down at his hands. Something about the night's scenery was comforting to Harry. It cleared his mind almost as well as flying did.

"Are you going to insist upon these late night meetings, Potter?" Draco's voice carried over the water.

Harry looked up to see the blond swimming towards the bank. Hardly a splash or swish of the water could be heard; it was as if Draco swam through the air. He pulled himself onto the bank with ease. The moon light bounced off of lingering water and silver scales on Draco's body creating a shimmering effect. Harry admired the beauty of the scene momentarily before violently evicting the thoughts from his head. Beauty and Draco Malfoy should _not_ be used in the same sentence by Harry Potter.

"I suppose I can find another spot," Harry replied mildly.

Harry scarcely thought of Draco Malfoy as he made his way to the lake. He only desired a change of scenery to clear his mind after the nightmare.

"I was kidding, Potter. You look distraught," Draco observed, tilting his chin upward, "Don't tell me you caught Granger and Weasley in the act. I might hurl."

Harry cracked a smile now. The blond was actually making an attempt to pacify him. The attempt was not in vain, as Harry's mood heightened a little.

"Are you mad? I'd prefer to think of my closest friends completely celibate for the rest of my life," Harry managed to laugh.

"Best of luck getting that image out of your head," Draco taunted with a sly smirk.

Draco's eyes shifted from Harry to something directly behind him. His demeanor changed entirely. His taunting expression twisted into one that Harry could only discern as fear. He extended a wet hand to Harry; the look in his grey eyes demanding.

"You heard it over here, Mrs. Norris?" It was Filch.

Without so much as a thought, Harry accepted Draco's hand and was swiftly jerked underwater. He barely had a moment to catch a breath beforehand. The cold water hit Harry like a bag of bricks. It was so entirely frigid that it lifted the remainder of air from his lungs. Draco pulled Harry further and further into the lake's depths. Harry frantically attempted to escape. He would rather be punished by Filch than drown in the lake. He coughed in a desperate panic and took in a lung-full of water. Draco appeared to suddenly remember that Harry was unable to breathe and in one swift motion pulled his former enemy into a kiss.

This kiss did not remotely resemble the first. It was much more tender and deliberate. With his former melancholy state of mind and a mix of scrambled emotions, Harry thoughtlessly returned the kiss. He was entranced by the electricity between them. Draco's long, thin fingers gripped Harry's neck as they kissed; it was a fantastic release for Harry. It only took a moment for the return of his mind. Harry tore himself away from the merman, thoroughly embarrassed. Draco floated with the appearance of a marble statue delicately painted to appear alive. If he had any thoughts relating to the situation, Harry could not read them on his face.

Draco's eyes shifted upwards. The fog caused by the snog began to clear, and he remembered Filch nearly catching them after curfew again. Harry followed his gaze, but could see nothing but haze and a bit of moonlight. He assumed the blond could see further than himself. They remained silent for at least ten minutes.

During this time, Harry panicked. He stole glances at Draco in hopes that there would be clues to his innermost thoughts. Draco's body remained rigid and his face fixed in an impassive state. Harry should have known. He wondered if Draco felt the same electricity he had. It distressed him that a man had stirred up such a feeling within him. At no other point in his life had he ever wanted another man. There had been so much desire. He stole another glance at Draco, whose head was still turned to the surface. That desire was _still_ there. Harry was miserable with the thought.

"He's gone," Draco announced.

"Uh…thanks again, Malfoy," Harry managed to say.

Draco shrugged indifferently which irritated Harry. He wanted some acknowledgment that the kiss they shared wasn't just to save Harry's life. He entertained the thought that his distraught state of mind might be messing with his perception of events. His imagination was quite capable of this sort of mischief. It made him more miserable.

"What kind of person would I be if I let _The Boy Who Lived_ drown in Black Lake?" Draco smirked.

Harry chose not to answer, assuming the question had been rhetorical. He wasn't really in the mood to banter with Draco now anyway. Thinking along these same lines, Harry decided against bringing up the kiss. He was afraid of both denial and confirmation. It was better if he just didn't know.

Draco kicked his powerful tail fin and flew towards the surface. Harry slowly followed behind, in no mood for attempting to compete tonight. Lost in thought, he pulled himself onto the bank and dried off. He collected the discarded invisibility cloak.

"I'll see you later, Malfoy," Harry turned to a dressed Slytherin buttoning his shirt.

Draco's brow furrowed and he marched to Harry on a mission. Harry was sure that the alarm was clear upon his face. He wasn't sure if he would be punched or kissed. At this point of distress, he wasn't sure which one he wanted. Draco's hand whipped out to Harry's head and returned with a green, slimy string which Harry could only assume was a bit of plant. The blond discarded the plant and held his head high in accomplishment. Stormy grey eyes held emerald orbs.

"You probably would have walked around with that rubbish in your hair for a week!" Draco chucked at his own joke.

Harry halfheartedly smiled, but said nothing. Holding Harry's eyes, he appeared to have something else to say, but only opened his mouth a fraction of a centimeter before closing it firmly. His eyes seemed to want an answer to some unasked question. All at once, Draco's posture straightened and his expression went stoic.

"Keep clear of that dirty squib, Potter," Draco warned with a wave as he made his way back to the castle.

Harry lingered a bit near the Black Lake's bank breathing a sigh of relief. Draco had momentarily made him forget about his nightmare. His fondness of making fun of Harry and his friends had come as sort of a relief. It was only after the heated kiss that Harry's feelings of friendship warped. He found it impossible that he could be remotely attracted to a man. At no other point in his life had he looked at a man the way he looked at Cho or Ginny. It was impossible. It was his opinion that he must be so starved for intimacy and affection, that he created it for himself. It was merely a coincidence that his mind chose to create it with Draco Malfoy. That must be it.

Harry lay in bed with a vial of Dreamless Sleep Draught in his hands. He downed the bottle quickly and stuck out his tongue in disgust. It tasted absolutely dreadful, worse than the Skele-gro potion from his second year. He didn't often take the potion due to the taste and groggy feeling he would be plagued with the following day, but he couldn't bear another dream.

Harry awoke slowly and flung himself out of bed with the thought of being late. Groggily, he remembered that it was Saturday and there was no reason to rush. To his right, Harry noticed Ron still in a deep sleep. Harry chuckled at the sight of his friend sprawled out in his bed, half of his body under the covers and half stuck out. His mouth was agape, and he snored softly. He desperately wanted to wake Ron to accompany him to breakfast. Alas, he couldn't. Ron was still angry.

Harry showered and made his way downstairs to the common room. Ginny, who had been quietly reading _The Quibbler_, lifted her head at the sound of footsteps. Her eyes lit up upon seeing Harry, she discarded the paper and bounced to him.

"Thank Merlin!" She exclaimed, "I didn't want to go to breakfast alone and none of you lazies would get up!"

Her smile and bright disposition lifted Harry's spirits. He wished that things had been different between them. She would have made a perfect wife and mother as well as an easy companion to spend the rest of his life with. Their relationship was like an old, worn pair of jeans: comfortable and easy. Though he was very fond of her company, easy and comfortable had never led to true feelings of love. It had been nice, though, that they ended the relationship on mutual terms.

"What time is it?" Harry asked.

"Seven thirty," Ginny groaned.

Harry frowned. The Dreamless Sleeping Draught always made him sleep much longer. He thought perhaps that particular vial was faulty. Ginny chuckled upon seeing his frown.

"I was surprised to see _you_ of all people coming down the stairs," Ginny commented as they exited the common room, "You're usually fond of sleeping in on the weekends. Lazy."

Ginny nudged him as she taunted. Harry laughed.

"I drank a Dreamless Sleeping Draught last night. I should have been sprawled out like Ron was this morning," Harry said jealously.

"Is he still cross?" Ginny asked bluntly as they walked down the moving staircase.

Harry rolled his eyes and nodded. A portrait shouted at Ginny because her fingers absentmindedly wandered onto the wall and tipped his frame. She withdrew her hand quickly as if she had been stung by the painting.

"Completely ignored me last night. Like I wasn't even there. Malfoy and I agreed to be civil. That's it! You'd swear I had replaced him," Harry winced internally as he brought up Draco, reminded of the previous night.

"You ought to try that and teach Ron a lesson," Ginny seemed serious in her suggestion, "Could you imagine that? _You_ best mates with Draco Malfoy!"

Harry laughed with her. He thought Draco was agreeable enough lately; he could see how they might be friends. Best mates might be stretching their abilities to tolerate one another a bit.

"I'm fairly certain I overheard you two lovebirds talking about me," The sound of Draco's voice sent an immediate reaction throughout Harry's body.

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Little bit of a cliffhanger here. Not a terrible one, in my opinion. If you have and questions or comments, please put them in your review! I will answer them in the story or via PM. Reviews for intangible cookies please! Love y'all!


	5. Friends

Thank you all for the fantabulous reviews! Your reviews, follows, and favs inspire me to write! It reminds me that I have the ability to write, half decently at least. I hope you guys like this new chapter. There's a lot of dialog, and I worked really hard to keep everyone in character.

**Disclaimer:** J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter, I just write the fanfiction!

**Chapter 5: **Friends

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The well-groomed Slytherin caught up easily enough and stood beside Ginny, who went rigid as soon as she noticed his presence. The red-head kept her head forward, but looked at Harry desperately from the corner of her eyes. He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes at Draco. The blond was clearly attempting to make Ginny uncomfortable.

"We aren't together, Malfoy," Harry informed, a bit exasperated.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Potter. I was only joking," Draco appeared to be holding back a smile.

"I'll be in the hall, Harry," Ginny, finally giving in to the uneasiness caused by Draco's presence, slipped into the Great Hall.

Draco smirked. He seemed to be pleased with the effect his presence had on Ginny. He and Harry stopped before reaching the doors of the Great Hall. The Slytherin was the definition of narcissism. He was attractive, perfectly groomed, and had an air of self-importance about him. Harry didn't hold it against his new friend; he was a product of his upbringing. It was still quite annoying to be around someone so self-absorbed.

"You and Weaselette aren't busy with wedding plans? Consider me shocked," Draco's tone was rather sarcastic, leaving Harry unsure of what he might be alluding to.

"She's just a friend," Harry replied truthfully, a bit agitated at his persistence with the subject.

"So Weasley's outburst yesterday was about me? I'm flattered," He smirked, letting Harry know that he had heard most of their conversation.

"He's still holding a bit of a grudge," Harry admitted, but countered with sarcasm, "I couldn't _possibly_ guess why."

"Well I don't like him much either," Draco retorted with his nose in the air.

"He's never going to see eye to eye with you. It's a good thing you didn't try to make a truce with _him_," Harry chuckled.

Harry couldn't imagine two people less alike. They hated each other with every fiber of their being. One wouldn't touch the other with a ten foot pole. That made two things they had in common: pureblood and stubbornness.

Draco appeared pensive for a moment. His stone, cold eyes flashed with some emotion Harry found himself unable to identify.

"If you and I are destined to be friends, I suppose I must make the first effort on account my upbringing allowed me the good manners others weren't as fortunate to be brought up with," Draco feigned a sad sigh, "See you later, Potter."

Draco left Harry to ponder the meaning of his words and glided into the Great Hall. Harry soon followed, meeting Ginny's questioning brown eyes as he entered. He sat across from her and breathed a shallow sigh of relief. He filled his plate with everything within his view and began to eat. His previous conversation with Draco was all but forgotten. Ginny appeared to be mildly irritated by his silence. She tapped her pale, slender fingers on the wooden table awaiting an explanation.

"Well?" She asked pointedly and received a confused look from Harry, "What did Malfoy want?"

"He asked what made Ron so cross yesterday at dinner. I suppose he heard a bit more of our conversation than we realized."

"How Slytherin of him," She offhandedly commented and signaled Harry to continue with a hand gesture.

"He said something about making the first effort with Ron if he and I were going to be _friends_," Harry chose to omit Draco's insinuation that the Weasleys didn't have good manners; it would only lead to an infuriated Ginny and a possible assassination attempt.

"You said you and Malfoy agreed to be civil. When did that turn into a friendship that needed Ron's of all people's approval?" Ginny's tone of voice heightened as she spoke.

Harry shrugged. Ginny made a valid point. Draco wasn't the kind of person to need the approval or overall like of another person. In general, he acted only to please himself. It was his nature, after all. Harry was more positive than ever that the Slytherin had some ulterior motive for this sudden change in character. Uncertainty came from whether this motive was virtuous or diabolical.

"He's got something up his sleeve. Who knows." Harry cared much more than he let on.

"I don't trust him," She commented with a snip of attitude, "But I _do_ trust your judgment of character."

Harry thought his friends put far too much trust in his judgment. He was wrong about Snape for six years, after all.

"Thanks, Gin. Do me a favor and don't let on to Ron what Malfoy said?" Harry received a curt nod from the redhead.

"Of course not. I'd pay ten galleons to see Malfoy try to make friends with Ron," Something caught Ginny's eye because she lifted her head towards the Great Hall's entrance and waved, "Speak of the Devil."

Ron and Hermione strolled into the Great Hall now, hand in hand. They took their seats across from Harry. Ron sat next to his sister. Hermione, chipper as usual for this hour, greeted Ginny and Harry with a warm smile. Ron guiltily eyed Harry with his jaw clenched tight. He shoveled food onto his plate like a hungry orphan who hadn't eaten in weeks. Hermione elbowed him harshly in the gut which caused him to give her a look of distress. He held a hand over his ribs and looked down as if he were going to weep from the pain. Hermione tilted her jaw towards Harry and glared daggers, prompting Ron to speak.

"I'm sorry, mate, for being a prick and all yesterday. I reckon you're a big boy and you can be friends with whoever you want," Ron smiled sheepishly.

"I'll have to comb the Slytherin table for new potential friends," Harry replied sarcastically with a big, goofy grin on his face.

Harry was happy that his best mate had apologized. Their rare quarrels never lasted long, but he still hated when Ron was cross with him. He was certain Hermione had convinced Ron of his stupidity and forced him to apologize. Ron seemed thoroughly embarrassed by his actions from the hint of red on the tips of his ears and the rate in which he was shoveling breakfast into his mouth. Harry peered over at the Slytherin table and caught Draco's cold, grey eyes. He raised a questioning blond eyebrow. Harry looked away quickly, hoping his friends wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, Hermione had been looking over her own shoulder to follow the line drawn by Harry's gaze. She met his eyes with a look that seemed to speak: _We are going to talk later_. This _talk _came too quickly for Harry's taste. She cornered him the very next day as they went to play a game of Quidditch on the pitch. It was the first time she had been able to get him alone without raising suspicion.

"What aren't you telling me about Malfoy? Please don't tell me this is sixth year all over again," Hermione referred to Harry's year comprised almost entirely of his obsession with figuring out what the Slytherin had been up to.

"We ran into each other while strolling after curfew. Neither of us could sleep so we made the best of it by talking a bit," Hermione threw Harry a reluctant look, "He's not entirely an arse, Hermione."

"I doubt it, but if you trust him," Her voice trailed off, but it returned with a command, "Finish."

"I thought he just wanted to be civil. I think he really wants to make amends. With _all_ of us."

Hermione was obviously taken aback by this. Even she thought that this was out of character for Draco.

"Did that come out of his mouth?" She seemed doubtful.

"Earlier this morning, before breakfast, he asked why Ron was angry and I told him. He said that if we were going to be friends, he would probably have to make the first effort."

"That's forward. You don't think he's trying too hard, Harry?"

"He definitely has an ulterior motive," Harry said with certainty.

Hermione, once again, wore a doubtful expression. Unbeknownst to her, Harry was the keeper of Draco's biggest secret. Harry thought Draco was too cunning to attempt to employ an evil plot while Harry had so much power over him. He wouldn't risk exposing his half-breed status to the world. That Harry was certain of. All Hermione needed to know was that Harry was inclined to hear him out.

"I'll try my best to be endearing if he imposes himself on us," Hermione said cynically, "And I'll have you know that I'm aware you're keeping things from me. You're a terrible liar."

Harry couldn't help but smile.

"Do you fancy a game with us or will you just keep score?" Harry purposely changed the subject.

Hermione rolled her eyes and they rejoined the group at the Quidditch pitch. It was a friendly, almost entirely Gryffindor game. Luna Lovegood found herself to be the only non-Gryffindor, though she didn't seem to mind being the oddball of the group. Ron and Harry were named captains and chose their players one by one, taking turns. Ron's team consisted of Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Parvati Patil, and Dennis Creevey; while Harry's team consisted of Ginny, Luna, Neville Longbottom, and Lavender Brown. Ron begged Harry to take Lavender, who pleasant enough, but still had a special doe-eyed gaze reserved for the red-head. Harry set her as their Keeper, the position that required the least movement, to keep her from drifting near Ron.

The group had entirely too much fun, if that were even possible. Harry had a bit of fun with Seamus, Ron's Seeker, by loudly feigning the sight of the Snitch several times. Each and every time, Seamus fell for the gag and came up red and flustered, screaming in an Irish fit. Ginny took great delight in throwing the Quaffle at Ron's head instead of through the goal. Luna floated aimlessly while staring into the clouds. They were all astonished to find that she was a quite skilled flier and handled the Quaffle exceedingly well. If it weren't for her inattentiveness for the majority of the game, Harry might have recommended that she try out for Ravenclaw's team.

Harry glanced to check on Hermione, who had been oddly silent, only to find her engaged in conversation with none other than Draco Malfoy. A strange feeling stirred in Harry's chest at the sight. Hermione didn't appear angry or irritated which could only lead Harry to believe Draco was being civil. Harry very nearly fell off of his broom.

"Oi, Harry!" Seamus floated next to him now, "Do you think Hermione's got her wits about her talking to Malfoy of all people?"

"When does Hermione _not_ have her wits about her?" Harry stared at the pair.

"I suppose she can take care of herself, eh? If we hear girly screams, we can only hope she has hexed his balls off and he's taken to weeping!"

Harry and Seamus laughed fairly hard at this.

When the party was wholly worn out, they parted. The temperature dropped almost dramatically as the sun lowered to the horizon. Most of the group quickly returned to the castle, staring at Hermione and Draco as they made their way out. They seemed to question their own eye sight as each and every person did a double take. Ginny and Ron were still floating near the goal posts, bickering over rules and which team had won, while Harry landed. Hermione welcomed him with a smile.

"Do you think you all are sufficiently worn out? I think Ron might sleep for two days after all of this. After he finishes that row with his sister though," She laughed.

"I'll have to cast a _silencio_ over his bed on account of his violent snoring," Harry groaned, then steered the conversation back to Draco, "What have you two been on about over here? Wait, let me guess…books?"

Hermione seemed thoroughly surprised. The entire castle knew of Hermione's love affair with literature. Naturally, it would be the subject Draco would use to bring down her barriers against him.

"Actually, yes! He's going to lend me his special edition _Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms_," She gloated energetically.

Harry could scarcely believe that Hermione could have been as charmed as she appeared after only two hours of conversation. It was much more likely that she was reserving her true feelings for when they were alone. He decided to play along with whatever was going on here, strange as it was.

"And Granger has a rather rare book that I would love to get my hands on," There was no wiping the superior smirk off of his face.

Ron's rough landing near Harry wiped any and every expression off of their faces. Harry noted that even Draco appeared to cease breathing in the awkward silence. Ron's face and ears were reddened by the enthusiastic game so his anger was indeterminable. Harry gripped his wand tightly, awaiting the inevitable action.

* * *

Cliffhanger! What will ol' Ron's reaction be to his girlfriend talking with Draco Malfoy? Will Draco be murdered? Guess you'll have to wait to find out!

Please review! Tell me what you think will happen or any remarks on the story! Constructive criticism is always welcome! Thanks for reading and review, review, review!


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